Streets of Mana

For some reason, common wisdom would tell you that no one really believes in magic these days. After all, this is the modern world, with computers, cell phones, cars, and science.

The problem with this idea is that polls show that a majority of Americans believe in ghosts. Even more believe in angels and miracles. Those who believe in superstitions and actual magic are smaller, less then 30%, but that still represents millions of people.

Various forms of fantasy, including paranormal romances, thrillers, horror, and high, dark and urban fantasy are among the most popular genres of fiction in books, movies and television shows. Almost everyone has heard the legends of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and witches or wizards. Tarot cards are being mass marketed and every major bookseller has manuals offering “practical advice” on how to start exploring magical traditions.

Everyone has a ghost or UFO story. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who saw or heard or did something strange. New myths can be created on message boards and then months later be discussed by paranormal experts as if they were actual phenomena.

And that’s in the technologically-dominated, scientifically advanced society of the modern world. It only requires a half step widdershins of reality to end up in a place that looks almost exactly the same -- but now all the superstitions and beliefs are based not on wishful thinking or mistaken assumptions but on real things going bump in the night.

In this place, the term “monster” has more to do with the choices people make for power. This is a world where the wrong bargain made in desperate times could mark your destiny forever. An oath spoken in the right place could give you power and responsibility. People in general might pretend magic isn’t real, but they’re a bit more likely to knock on wood and pull the curtains at night.

This is a world where the raw stuff of magic runs free in the streets. Magic is shaped by thought and belief, and it will be found in abundance where people live. The mana is touched by dreams, fiction, fears, hopes and of course, those who have the talent to shape power consciously.

And some, like you, are the sources of the legends most people try to lock away in books and shows. You are the reason there are urban legends.

You and others like you stride down the Streets of Mana, hidden in plain sight.